Winter storm ‘Jonas’ update

Facebook photo by Larry Mullins on Friday around 1:30 p.m. in Rosemount in Scioto County.

Additional Snowfall overnight has totals ranging from 9 inches near Buena Vista in western Scioto County to 11 inches in Franklin Furnace in Eastern Scioto County, according to Scioto County officials.

Varying amounts of snowfall were recorded in between based on where bands of snow set up and moved through in waves with Portsmouth in South Central Scioto and Lucasville in North Central Scioto County picking up nearly 9 inches, Kim Carver, Scioto EMA Director, reported.

Other select snowfall totals reported included 10 inches at Wheelersburg; 8 inches at South Webster; 8 inches at Rosemount; and 4 inches at Otway, according to Carver.

“Snow Patrols are being worked by city, county, state and township road crews plowing back and treating roadways in hopes of seeing primary routes greatly improved by evening.” Carver said in a news release.

A Level Two Snow Emergency will most likely be downgraded to a Level One sometime Sunday, Carver added, with caution urged for all traveling as crews will be cleaning up the heavy snowfall into the new work week on Monday.

“Aside from some vehicle crashes, blowing and drifting snow was the main problem with gusty winds that picked up in behind the system as it moved off to the northeast here this morning,” she said. “Very cold temperatures are anticipated overnight so fortunately the lighter and drier snow prevented the problem of power outages for folks to have to deal with in the frigid conditions. A gradual warming will be welcomed with the new work week when another system will bring rain to the area on Tuesday.”

While the snow is a nuisance the major headaches of the dynamic storm from crippling snow and stranded motorists and power outages requiring shelters for warmth did not transpire here. Those as close as West Virginia and Kentucky did not fare so well with Interstate 64 closed in West Virginia and Interstate 75 closed in Kentucky from white outs and deep snow leaving travelors stranded there and many people without electricity in Virginia and North Carolina and Maryland.

Carver said Crews from the Ohio Department of Transportation, District 9 highway maintenance facilities, continue working through the overnight and will do so well into the day, Saturday, as winter storm Jonas treks its way across the region.

“Roadways are snow covered throughout the area, where accumulations had reached from four inches in Highland and Brown counties to more than eight inches in Jackson and Lawrence counties by midnight Friday,” she reported. “While total snow accumulations in much of District 9 are anticipated to be between four and eight inches, southern Scioto and Jackson counties could receive as much as ten inches to a foot of snow, and portions of Lawrence County could see totals reach 14 to 16 inches before the storm subsides, according to the National Weather Service.”

Along with the continuing snowfall and additional accumulation that is expected through mid-day and early afternoon Saturday, periodic wind gusts are likely, and these will cause snow to blow and drift in localized areas, particularly in Highland County, western Ross County and northern Brown County.

More than 100 snowplow operators will continue plowing and applying salt to clear the roads across the district’s eight-county region.

“However, plowed and treated roadways may re-cover quickly depending upon the rate of precipitation,” Carver explained. “Of course, unnecessary travel should be avoided, and anyone who must travel should exercise extreme caution and be well-prepared for changing conditions. They should allow additional time to arrive at their destination, driving at a speed well-below the posted limit and maintaining a safe following distance behind other vehicles.”

Facebook photo by Larry Mullins on Friday around 1:30 p.m. in Rosemount in Scioto County.

http://portsmouth-dailytimes.aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2016/01/web1_Facebook-photo-by-Larry-Mullins-from-Friday.jpgFacebook photo by Larry Mullins on Friday around 1:30 p.m. in Rosemount in Scioto County.